CHIZ LAMENTS BLAME GAME IN MAMASAPANO TRAGEDY

A year after the bloody Mamasapano incident, Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero lamented how security officials continue to engage in finger-pointing over who should take responsibility for the deaths of 44 members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF).

"Mula noong una tayong nag-hearing hanggang sa ngayon, nagtuturuan pa rin iyong opisyal natin. Mahalaga at nananalig ako sa command responsibility. Tila puro may command lahat ng tao natin pero walang umaako ng responsibilidad," Escudero said.

The joint hearing on Wednesday once again highlighted the lack of intelligence, poor planning and coordination, and failure of communications between and among government agencies to ensure the success of the operation from the beginning up to the extraction of the last SAF trooper trapped in the area.

Dubbed Oplan Exodus, the operation successfully took down wanted international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, but left 44 members of the police commando dead during a gunbattle with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armed groups, as they were making their way out.

Escudero said it would have been more acceptable if at least one of these security officials admitted command responsibility for what had happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015.

"Ang pinakahahanap lang siguro ng ating mga kababayan mula sa inyo ay may umamin man lang na may pagkukulang kayo. Dahil maliwanag na may 44 na namatay," Escudero pointed out during the hearing of the Senate Committees on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs; Peace, Unification and Reconciliation; and Finance that was presided by his running mate, Sen. Grace Poe. He, however, said it was never too late for them to take responsibility for the tragedy so they themselves and the country can move on.

"Oo nga at hindi kayo ang pumatay pero maliwanag na may pagkukulang na naganap at nangyari sa panig o parte ng ilan o ng lahat. At siguro 'yung pagkakataon 'yun baka palipasin nyo na naman," Escudero told police and military officials who attended the hearing.

"Kung wala mang magsasabi at aamin na 'Oo nga, nagkulang ako at mas may nagawa pa siguro ako kung ganito at ganyan.' Sana po bago matapos ang pagdinig, magamit iyong pagkakataong ito para masabi at maamin iyan para gumaan na rin ang inyong kalooban," he added.

The veteran lawmaker made the observation after police and military officials still pointed fingers at each other for who's to blame for the Mamasapano operation that led to the deaths of 44 commandos from the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police.